The National Renal Strategy Review(NRSR) was commissioned by the Department of Health and Children(DoHC), following the publication of the Health Strategy ‘ Quality and Fairness- A Health System for You in 2001. Item 60: made a commitment to establish a review of renal services in Ireland.

In February 2003 the Minister for Health and Children Mr Micheal Martin T.D ., appointed Dr Liam Plant, Consultant Renal Physician at Cork University Hospital ,to chair the National Renal Strategy Review. The NRSR group has representations from the major stakeholders including medical and nursing personnel, professions allied to medicine, health planners and administrators, the Irish Kidney Association ,general practitioners and a patient representative.

In September 2003 Terms of Reference were agreed:
To make recommendations for a high quality and patient -centred Renal Service to meet current and projected demand, having regard to current best practice and the need to obtain the best of, and maximum benefit from the resources available. Nominations to the steering group were received from a range of relevant organisations, agencies and individuals. The first meeting of this group was held on 1st June 2005.Five subgroups were established to focus on the areas of:
- General Nephrology Services
- End Stage Kidney Disease Services
- Low Clearance Renal Disease
- Haemodialysis
- Peritoneal Dialysis
- Renal Transplantation
- Acute Renal Failure Services
- Paediatric Nephrology Services
- Renal Health Intelligence

A chair was appointed for each subgroup and for working groups within the ESKD subgroup. Terms of Reference for each subgroup were agreed by the steering group, which agreed a work plan and timeline for the development of reports. These were integrated into the Final Report.

A health services researcher supported the process, and a support group provided administrative support.

Updates on the review were presented each year at the INNA Conference.

The Final Report was submitted to the National Population Health Directorate in late 2006.

In September 2007, Dr Plant received a letter from the HSE to inform him that National Renal Strategy was discussed at a Management Team Meeting ,and it was decided that the report had to be reviewed by an external group to ensure it was aligned with the HSE Transformation Programme, a major change management programme which aims to transform health services in Ireland over the next three years.